Memorandum-file



(No Model.)

K. .KNEUTSON. MEMORANDUM FILE.

PatentedJune'28, 1887. v

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KNEUT 'KNEUTSON, OF RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS.

MEMORANDUM-FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 365,607, dated June 28,1887.

Application filed March 8, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KNEU'I. KNEUTSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at River Forest, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Memorandum-Files;and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of devices commonlyemployed, particularly for office purposes, as means for providingmemoranda of duties requiring attention on certain future dates, wherebythe danger of neglect, owing to forgetfulness to performsuch duties atthe required times, shall be counteracted.

It is my object to provide a portable device for the purpose of simpleconstruction, entailing convenience in the manner of its use, and whichmay be placed upon the desk like other articles of office-deskfurniture, with some of which it may be combined, as with an inkstand. IJ

My invention consists in the general construction of my improved device;and it also consists in details of the construction and combinations ofparts, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows my improved device in side elevation andserving to carry ink wells to constitute it an inkstand. Fig. 2 is asimilar view of the same, presenting a side at a right angle to thatpresented'in Fig. 1, and representing the device in position for use.Fig. 3'is a sectional plan view, to illustrate the construction. of thespring-follower, taken on the line 3 of Fig. 1-, l and viewed in thedirection of thearrow; and Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are broken views inelevation of the memorandum slip details employed with-and forming'partof myimprovement.

A is a receptacle, preferably of ornamental appearance and formed ofmetal or wood. The exterior form of the receptacle, while preferablythat shown, is immaterial, so long as the interior is rectangular, orsubstantially so, to accommodate the memorandum-slips hereinafterdescribed. The receptacleis closed on all sides except the one presentedto view in full in Fig. 1, which constitutes the right-hand side whenthe device is used, as hereinafter Serial No. 230,084. (No model.)

set forth, and the adjacent side, t, is recessed, as shown at t, for aparticular purpose, also hereinafter described. On the rear side, 8, or

that opposite the side t, and secured centrally 5 5 upon its innersurface, is a block, 0', having secured to it, to extend from its upperedge, one end of a spring, G, comprising a wire bent to resemblesomewhat the letter S in form, and the opposite end of the wire ispivotally secured to a follower block or strip, D, at or near the up peredge of the center of thelatter. Thus the position of the spring G inthe receptacle is close to the under surface of the top, the uppersurface of which may be used as a support 6 for ink-wells E, and haveracks E for penholders extending along opposite edges. Within thereceptacle are twelve slips, like the slip F in Fig. 4, of card-board,wood, or metal,

each having on its upper right-hand corner ply'of blank slips, G,preferably of thin card- 7 5 board, each cut off diagonally at its upperright-hand corner, as shown, and to be used for noting a memorandum uponit, together with the number of the month near the righthand edge, andbelow the number the date of such month to which the memorandum relates.

Thus, to begin the use of the device at the commencement of a new year,the twelveslipsr F are placed in the receptacle, one behind the other inthe order of their sequence, with the endshaving the numbers and namesof the months marked upon them, as aforesaid, coincident with and facingthe opening or recess t in the side it. Memoranda of occurrences,

duties, or the like, requiring attention during 0 the month of January,are noted, together with the number and date of the month, as More said,as the requirement for making them occurs, upon blank slips G, withdrawnas needed from a supply placed within the receptacle 5 G, which maypreviously have been inserted. rco

In the same way slips G are withdrawn at any time from the supply to bemarked with memoranda, and are inserted in proper position withreference to the particular slips F, representing months, to which theyrelate. The insertion of these slips (which is performed by running thethumb of the right hand along the exposed edges of the slips F G in thereceptacle to the desired point, and then separating them at that pointto permit the insertion) is attended with comparatively littledifficulty, owing to the particular construction of the spring-followerD. The latter performs the same general purpose in my device that otherspring-followers perform in the various devices-such as are shown in theclass of card and ticket holders and caseswherein the contents of thereceptacle are always to be automatically acted upon to bring theforemost or uppermost card to a certain position; but suchspring-followers as hitherto constructed are capable of only directreciprocating movement, produced by the compression and the resilienceof the spring portion, while my follower-strip is capable, in addition,of a lateral oscillatory motion upon its pivotal connection with thespring. Thus when spring-followers of any of the old constructions areforced back to permit the insertion or withdrawal of cards or slipswhich stand upon edge in the receptacle, those forward of the line ofseparation are liable to fall down, producing, obviously, annoyance andno little difficulty in readjusting them, while the pivotal constructionof my follower-strip causes it to be moved or pressed forward toward itsinner end against the adjacent end of the slips in the receptacle,thereby sustaining them in erect position when the followerstrip isforced backward at its outer end against the resistance ofthe spring inseparating the pack' of slips at any point.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the memorandumslip G having theday nearest at hand noted upon it (and which is to be withdrawn anddestroyed when the memorandum upon it has received attention) is alwayspresented to view, together with the number on the slip F of the monthin which the day occurs, which is visible beyond through the spaceafforded by the clipped corners of all the slips G in front of such slipF; and at the end of each month the foremost slip F is withdrawn andreinserted behind the rearmost slip F.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a memorandum-file, the combination of a receptacle, A, open at itsright-hand side, slips F in the receptacle, having indicated upon themmonths of the year, and memorandumslips G within the receptacle, clippedat their upper right-hand corners, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

2. In a memorandum-file, the combination of a receptacle, A, open at itsright-hand side and having a recess, 16', in the side If, slips F in thereceptacle, each having indicated upon it a month of the year, andmemoranduni-slips G, clipped at their upper right-hand corners andplaced within the receptacle with their clipped corners at the recess t,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a mcmorandunrfile, the combination of a receptacle, A, open at itsright-hand side, slips F, having indicated upon them months of the year,memoranduni-slips G, clipped at their upper right-hand corners, and aspringfollower within the receptacle behind the said slips, comprising astrip, D, and a spring, 0, secured at one end to the receptacle and atits opposite end to the strip D, near the center of the same,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a memorandurn-file, the combination of a receptacle, A, open atits right-hand side and having a recess, t, in the side I, slips F, eachhaving indicated upon it a month of the year, memorandum-slips G,clipped at their right-hand corners and placed within the receptaclewith their clipped corners at the recess 1 and a spring-follower withinthe receptacle behind the said slips, comprising a strip, D, and a wire,0, bent upon itself substantially in the form of an S, to form thespring, and secured at one end to the receptacle and pivotally connectedat its opposite end to the strip D, near the center of the same,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

KNEUT KNEUTSON.

